Top 5 reasons why Ben Simmons is set to lose a lot even if Philadelphia 76ers trade him

As the Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers soap opera continues, much is at stake for both sides. Does Ben Simmons have any leverage? Are the Philadelphia 76ers in control? As the fanbase impatiently awaits resolution of this summer long impasse, here are the five reasons why Ben Simmons is set to lose a lot even if the Philadelphia 76ers trade him.

#5 Ben Simmons could land on a small market team

Everyone knows Ben Simmons' desire to play in California. Coming from Australia's climate, it makes sense, and many stars across sports have homes or second homes in Los Angeles. If Philadelphia has held out for this long strictly because trade offers are lacking, something can shake out like a young player becoming disgruntled or some similarity. If the assets fit, why wouldn't Philadelphia pull the trigger at this point?

His name has transcended sports this summer, and Ben Simmons going to a small market team might surely eliminate the big market endorsement possibilities to come his way as a reclamation project. If Ben Simmons wants to land in California, he definitely doesn't want to play in Cleveland or Minnesota. After everything that's gone on this summer, he may not have a choice.

#4 The wear and tear of this soap opera

Yes, Ben Simmons is 25 years old, yet the entire focus this summer should have been Ben Simmons improving his game. The worldwide stress of hearing your name in a pejorative sense daily has to wear on his mind, body and soul. Professional athletes are built differently in that most can handle all the media attention, fan criticism, questions from peers, family, friends and those simply passing by.

If the perception of Ben Simmons is true and he's not one to handle adversity accordingly, how was he able to slow down the moments and focus on working out? Is working our his sanctuary? What type of advice did his former pro father give him? He's seemed to have overstepped his worth, and if that's the case and he realizes his summer-long mistake, no wonder he's not attending training camp, because there's no way he's ready to go - especially in Philadelphia where fans want their pound of flesh.

#3 Landing on a team with no ambition to win

Is this how Ben Simmons sees the world? Can he handle it all?

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, despite the current view of the duo, have catapulted the Philadelphia 76ers into the NBA elite. Despite the Game 7 loss to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, Philly began the playoffs as the number 1 seed in an Eastern Conference employing the Brooklyn Nets and the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. Ben Simmons, at this point, could be coveted by franchises simply trying to fill seats in the arena, and if that's their goal, the playoffs would be a long way off for Ben Simmons.

Since his Rookie of the Year season of 2017-18, Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have gone 195-114, made the playoffs in each of his four seasons, won one Atlantic Division title and finished in the top 3 of the division in each of the other years with a relatively young squad. Philly hasn't advanced past the second round, yet has played in a competitive and often classic series over that span.

#2 NBA teams don't want to deal with him

As mentioned earlier, Ben Simmons is currently the hot topic in sports for all the wrong reasons. He's reportedly told his teammates not to fly out to Los Angeles and try to convince him to attend training camp because he still wants out of Philadelphia. The front office is accustomed to immediate results in their line of work, and many feel a 25 year old superstar, who's one of the NBA's best on-ball defenders 1-5, is behaving immaturely with his trade demands. Will teams in the future shy away from dealing with a player that doesn't want to deal with his teammates - many that he calls friends? Someone that's still owed four-years/$147M? Why would a team want to deal with such a player, and is this a Clutch Sports powerplay more than simply a Ben Simmons issue? Is not facing the Philadelphia fans a big part of why he doesn't want to attend training camp? One can only ask.

#1 Ben Simmons never comes back from this debacle

Ben Simmons can still become a Hall of Fame player in the NBA. The public relations hit itself will be an uphill climb for Ben Simmons. The only scenario where I see this working out for Ben Simmons is if his reputation becomes so bad that LeBron James and the Lakers land him on the cheap. That would be my best guess. Anywhere else Ben Simmons lands there will have to be a major rebuilding of his reputation, confidence and love for the game, etc. While he's owed a whole lot of money, the money he may have lost throughout this messy summer might not ever be able to be recovered.

Ben Simmons was on his way to becoming an all-time great player, and how it all fell apart in Philadelphia is a story for another day. Unless that Lakers scenario happens, Ben Simmons stands to be the biggest loser in all of this. The Sixers still have one of the best center talents the league has seen in Joel Embiid, and a pretty sturdy core ready to go at the start of training camp on September 28th. The thing is, how long will Ben Simmons and Clutch Sports hold out and create an even bigger hole by sitting out the season?

Fans will find out soon enough.